Sleep, Mood & Stress; Cognitive & Neuroprotection

Semax

A cognitive-drive peptide signal for focus and neural repair research.

Last updated 12 August 2026

Studied forCognitive drive · Focus enhancement · Post-TBI support

Evidence on file3 animal studies · 3 citations not yet graded

Strongest sourceThe Potential of the Peptide Drug Semax and Its Derivative for Correcting Pathological Impairments in the Ani… (animal study)

Mechanism

ACTH analog associated with BDNF up-regulation and dopaminergic modulation.

Reported effects

What sources associate with this compound. Reported categories, not outcomes we have graded — each would need its own citation and rung.

Cognitive drive
Focus enhancement
Post-TBI support

Dosing on file unverified

200-600 mcg daily, cycled from 2 weeks

Reported dose	Volume	Draw
Low — 200 mcg	0.2 mL	20 units
High — 600 mcg	0.6 mL	60 units

What that assumes. Assumes 2 mg in 2 mL (1000 mcg/mL) drawn on a U-100 barrel — the preset on this record, not a recommendation and not the only way to mix it. Change the vial mass, the diluent or the barrel and every number in this table changes. Run your own.

Carried from a source that labels it unverified, and reproduced with that label attached. A record of what is reported, not a recommendation. No citation on this page establishes it.

Reconstitution

Vial	Diluent	Concentration	Typical dose	Draw
2 mg	2 mL	1000 mcg/mL	200 mcg	20 units

mass ÷ diluent = concentration; dose ÷ concentration = volume; volume × the syringe factor = units on the barrel (100 for U-100, 40 for U-40). Run your own numbers.

Reported adverse effects

Limited safety data outside Russian clinical use

N/Aonset: N/Areversibility not on file

Literature on file 6

animal in vivo
The Potential of the Peptide Drug Semax and Its Derivative for Correcting Pathological Impairments in the Animal Model of Alzheimer's Disease. graded on: an animal model — “Animal Model”
animal in vivo
The Effect of Peptide Semax, an ACTH(4-10) Analogue, on Intracellular Calcium Dynamics in Rat Brain Neurons. graded on: an animal model — “Rat”
animal in vivo
Semax peptide targets the μ opioid receptor gene Oprm1 to promote deubiquitination and functional recovery after spinal cord injury in female mice. graded on: an animal model — “mice”

Not graded

3 citations whose study design could not be read from the title. Left ungraded rather than guessed at.

Identity

Space-filling 3D model of Semax, carbon grey, nitrogen blue, oxygen red — Built from the SMILES on this record — the atoms, bonds and stereochemistry are exact. The shape is **one computed low-energy pose**, not a measured structure: a flexible peptide in solution has no single conformation. The skeletal formula below claims connectivity and nothing more, which is what we actually know.

2D chemical structure of Semax — Built from the SMILES on this record — the atoms, bonds and stereochemistry are exact. The shape is **one computed low-energy pose**, not a measured structure: a flexible peptide in solution has no single conformation. The skeletal formula below claims connectivity and nothing more, which is what we actually know.

Molecular weight: 813.9
Molecular formula: C37H51N9O10S
CAS number: 80714-61-0
PubChem CID: 9811102
InChI key: AFEHBIGDWIGTEH-AQRCPPRCSA-N
Sequence: MEHFPGP
SMILES: CSCC[C@@H](C(=O)N[C@@H](CCC(=O)O)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC1=CN=CN1)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC2=CC=CC=C2)C(=O)N3CCC[C@H]3C(=O)NCC(=O)N4CCC[C@H]4C(=O)O)N
InChI: InChI=1S/C37H51N9O10S/c1-57-16-13-24(38)32(50)42-25(11-12-31(48)49)33(51)43-26(18-23-19-39-21-41-23)34(52)44-27(17-22-7-3-2-4-8-22)36(54)46-15-5-9-28(46)35(53)40-20-30(47)45-14-6-10-29(45)37(55)56/h2-4,7-8,19,21,24-29H,5-6,9-18,20,38H2,1H3,(H,39,41)(H,40,53)(H,42,50)(H,43,51)(H,44,52)(H,48,49)(H,55,56)/t24-,25-,26-,27-,28-,29-/m0/s1

Classified as

Dopaminergic Modulationmechanism: Records claiming drive, motivation or focus usually point here, and the honest version of such a claim names the step in the system rather than the feeling it is meant to produce.
BDNF/TrkB Signalingmechanism: Nearly every nootropic record on the site points here, so it is where a cognitive claim can be checked against something measurable instead of taken as a description of how someone felt.
Intranasalroute: A nasal device delivers a fixed volume per spray, so concentration rather than syringe volume sets the amount per spray, and a mass figure on a record is not usable until you know how many actuations it was divided across.

Also called

Semax
Semax (Stress)

Notes unverified prose

Approved in Russia; 110-patient stroke study used 6,000 mcg/day intranasally; Russian clinical protocols; stroke: 12-18 mg/day

Not on file 0

All 8 tracked fields hold a value on this record: molecular weight and formula, CAS number, PubChem CID, amino-acid sequence, SMILES, InChI and InChI key.

Counted from the record itself, not from what a source said it was missing. 136 of 185 records still have at least one empty.

Listed prices 3

What 3 shops we track listed for Semax, read from their own public catalogues on 2026-08-12. We take no commission on these and they are not ranked by any payment — how vendors are scored.

Listed in CAD
Vendor	Size	Price	Per mg
Peptide Supply Online	size not listed	$38.00 CAD	—
Polar Peptides	size not listed	$119.99 CAD	—

Listed in USD
Vendor	Size	Price	Per mg
Cosmic Nootropic ships worldwide	size not listed	$45.00 USD	—

Prices are the vendor's own listing, reproduced with the date we read it — never converted between currencies, and compared per milligram only where the vendor states the vial size.

At a glance

Strongest rung: animal in vivo
Citations: 6
Regulatory: Approved outside the US (source claim, unverified)
Route: Intranasal
Declared gaps: 0

Citations by rung

animal in vivo3

Strongest wins, never an average.